Thesis
Article #1 - Summary:
"Sophocles, Antigone 23-5 and the Burial of Eteocles"
- C.W. Willink(Mnemosyne, 60 (2): 274-280. Retrieved Apr 28, 2008 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete)
Willink focuses his discussion on the burial of
Eteocles and the inconsistencies concerning it that can be found in the
play. The first speech of Antigone to
Ismene is displayed, noting the fact that Eteocles had already
supposedly been
buried. The author finds this
perplexing, given the very short time frame that the burial would have
occurred
in and the absence of the sisters, Ismene and Antigone, from the burial
preparation
process. Willink rebuts other scholars’
explanations for this, saying that “dramatic
necessity” did not require such an
inconsistency.
The author proceeds to
discuss Creon’s long speech to his people, which, according
to Willink, makes
it seem as though Eteocles has not been buried yet. Willink
explains that probable causes of these
inconsistencies are erroneously translated words or even words that
were
erroneously placed in the original text, adding that perhaps Antigone
and
Ismene had indeed hurriedly prepared Eteocles body for burial the night
before
the conversation between them took place, with only the actual burial
not
having taken place yet. Thus, Willink
conveys to the reader the true importance of written
language. Words, and their usage, as shown by the
confusion that a reader of Antigone
could come across, can have a profound impact on the plotline of a play.